A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I was going to update last week, but then I decided to go to Bones Paley last minute, so I couldn't update. I had the best time ever. Seriously. All the cast were amazing. They were so nice and so outgoing. If you want to see pictures, you can find them at my tumblr:
http:/ biba79. tumblr. com/ post/ 5433652257/ my-time-with-the-bones-family (Just remove the spaces)
Anyway, my epilogue ended up being very long, so I split it into Epilogue Part 1 and Epilogue Part 2. I will post part 2 soon, I promise. Hopefully you will enjoy the last part of Stuck!
I wanted to thank Rankor01 and jenlovesbones for their help on the epilogue.
Also, no music for the epilogues!
Thank you again for everyone for reading and reviewing. This ride has been amazing.
Epilogue Part 1
After months apart, Brennan and Booth were finally on the road to redemption, and things were definitely falling into place. It surprised him that she asked him to move back in so soon.
When he had left her after their last fight he really thought their marriage was over. He believed that Brennan would never forgive him and he was ready to move on and he hoped he would still have a relationship with the mother of his children. But deep down he also knew that Brennan had a forgiving heart, and he hoped that she would give him another chance.
The moment she told him she had felt alone for the past few of months, it shocked him. He knew that it was almost all his fault. He promised silently to himself that Brennan would never feel like that again the minute the words came out of her mouth. On their wedding day, he had vowed to make her happy every single day and he already failed for the last year. He would not make the same mistake twice. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she was happy for the rest of her life, even without their sweet little girl.
Booth also knew that they needed to talk more about their relationship, Liz, and what losing her felt like, instead of pushing it aside like they have been doing. He always loved Brennan more than life itself, but the minute she asked him to move out, was the day that he realized how much she really meant to him. Almost losing her like that, on top of losing Liz, and knowing that it was his fault, broke him completely. He vowed to spend more time with his sons; it made him realized just how much he missed them lately, and he didn't want to miss seeing his son grow up anymore. Cooper was growing up so fast, and Booth wanted to be there for them at every milestone. Booth also wanted to be the best father he could possibly be, even better than before.
He knew that work at the moment wasn't as important as before. He would never take for granted the little things in life again.
Every night for the last few months weren't as comfortable and sleep didn't come easy, especially because he didn't have Brennan to hold on to.
"I love you, Bones," he said softly to himself. Booth finally relaxed, and closed his eyes and allowed sleep to overcome him.
X-X-X-X-X-X
"When are you coming home?" Brennan asked.
"Soon." Booth promised.
"I need some things from the store for dinner tonight. I don't want to take Cooper to the store and I can't leave him here alone either. I was wondering if you could stop by the store on your way home."
"I can do that. I'm almost done here. What do you need?" Booth could almost hear a sigh of relief from the other end of the phone. Brennan quickly rattled off a list of items she needed and Booth repeated them back to her to make sure he didn't miss anything.
"Cooper was asking about you," Brennan added before saying goodbye. "He wants to play with you tonight. I just wanted to let you know."
"I'll see you soon, Bones…" He paused and took a deep breath, "I love you…" He whispered, unsure if she would return the familiar sentiment.
Brennan hesitated, she wanted to say the words back, but she just wasn't ready yet. They still had a long way to go. She just hang up the phone and kept herself busy for the next hour. She did some laundry and spent some time playing with Cooper.
Cooper didn't notice the quiet sounds of Booth's feet in the entryway. "I'm home," he shouted from the base of the stairs. Cooper abandoned the game of Chutes and Ladders he was playing with Brennan and raced to greet him. Booth set down the grocery bags he was carrying when he saw the stampede that was quickly approaching.
"Dad!" Cooper said happily as Booth picked him up and hugged him.
"I heard you wanted to play with me, Coop?" Booth said as he kissed his nose.
"It's been a long time since we played." Cooper said as Booth put him down again.
"Where's your Mom?" He asked his son when he saw she had not come to greet him.
"She's in my room," Cooper announced proudly. "We're playing Chutes and Ladders." He added.
"Why don't you go finish your game, and I'll come up to join you after I put away the groceries."
Cooper ran back upstairs and into his room to announce to Brennan that 'Dad was home'. Booth picked up the bags he had carried in and took them into the kitchen. After putting everything away he went to join his family in Cooper's room.
He entered the room to see Brennan and Cooper on the floor, circled around a game board in the middle of the room. He smiled at the sight and asked if he could play.
Brennan answered first. "You can take my place while I go start dinner." She offered.
"Do you need some help?" Booth asked.
"No. You just play with him." She insisted. Booth gave in and took Brennan's place at the board. Brennan heard him asking Cooper what piece was his as she exited the room and headed downstairs.
Brennan started boiling water for the noodles. She remembered when Cooper was little and would always say 'Noo Noos' instead of noodles. Cooper had come up with the word and taught Liz. Since then the word had stuck. Brennan often found herself calling them 'Noo Noos' now too, even though the kids had long since discarded the term.
Brennan heated up some hot dogs and sliced up some apples to complete the meal. After setting the table, she yelled 'Dinner' and soon heard a commotion upstairs that let her know she was heard.
The meal was simple, but Booth's presence made it remarkable and Brennan could see how much it meant to Cooper. The three of them sat around the table and enjoyed the meal. Booth was saddened that Liz's seat was empty, but he was happy to be home with his family.
"What do you want to do tonight?" Booth asked between bites.
"Can we watch Harry Potter Dad?" Cooper asked. Cooper had just gotten Harry Potter's seventh film on DVD and had been waiting to watch it with his Dad. Booth used to read to Cooper and Liz from the books each night before bed - before Liz's death. It had become somewhat of a tradition that they would watch the movies together after they finished a book. He hadn't read to Cooper or watched a movie with him since Liz's passing.
"Definitely," he smiled at his son. "After dinner, you can get the movie started and I'll make the popcorn."
Upon hearing this, Cooper quickly cleared their plates and excused himself. Brennan smiled approvingly at the spectacle. Brennan and Booth finished their meals in silence.
Cooper came back minutes later and announced that he was ready.
"I'm not done eating yet," Booth teased. "Give me ten minutes buddy." Cooper accepted his answer and returned to the lounge to wait.
Booth took one last bite and stood up, taking his plate to the sink. He placed his plate as well as Cooper's in the dishwasher and searched the cupboards for the microwave popcorn. By the time he found it and placed it in the microwave, Brennan had finished eating and was clearing the rest of the table. Booth moved to help her.
"I know this is hard, but I'm trying," he said apprehensively. "I just wanted to let you know." She stood at the sink and he came behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She noticeably stiffened. Brennan wasn't ready yet to be happily one hundred percent. It was still too soon, how could she tell him that she was still having a hard time adjusting to a house with her family without Liz?
"This is just hard." Brennan honestly answered him.
Booth released his hold on her and stepped back with a sigh. "Look, it will be hard for a very long time, but we can survive it together, Bones. Besides, we are going to therapy every week. It's going to take some time for us to adjust back to how it used to be."
"It will never be the same without her." Brennan said sadly.
"I know it won't. I want you to understand that I will always be here, no matter what." He said calmly, but still with conviction.
"I know, I know." She nodded softly.
The microwave beeped.
"I'm going to watch a movie with Cooper. I want you join us." Booth emptied the contents of the popcorn bag into three small bowls and placed them on a tray. On the way out of the kitchen he stopped to add one more thing. "Tomorrow will be better." He said and exited the room.
Booth settled down on the couch and started watching the movie with Cooper. He remembered how much he enjoyed spending time with his family. Before the opening credits rolled, Brennan was seated in the oversized chair next to the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Spending time with his son made him forget about work and about how much he missed Liz for a little while. Brennan was asleep before the movie ended. Booth and Cooper smiled triumphantly.
"Buddy," Booth whispered. "Go get ready for bed. I'll be there to tuck you in, and then I'm going to put Mommy in bed," Booth turned off the TV, and organized the room before turning to go to Cooper's room to tuck him in.
He entered Cooper's room to tuck him in before returning to the lounge for Brennan.
"Are you ready?" Booth asked. Cooper got into bed as Booth made his way and sat beside him.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?" Booth asked him as he pulled up the covers.
"Can we play hockey sometime this week? It's been a long time since we played." Cooper asked, hoping he would say 'Yes.'
"I will try to make time this week for that, buddy." He said as he kissed him goodnight. "I love you. Goodnight."
"I love you too Daddy." Cooper said as he got more comfortable. Booth left, turning the light off on his way out.
Booth returned to the lounge and saw that Brennan was still sleeping soundly. He carefully lifted her into his arms, trying not to wake her. Brennan instinctively wrapped her arms around him, causing Booth to smile.
He navigated the stairs easily and made it to their room quickly. He gently laid Brennan on the bed, and pulled the covers over her, similar to how he had with Cooper. He sat at her side for a moment, watching her sleep. He considered sliding into bed next to her. They had been married for almost eight years, and he still had trouble sleeping without her.
As much as he wanted to stay with Brennan, Booth decided he'd better sleep in the guest room a little longer. He knew that even though Brennan took him back, she wasn't ready to get back to how they used to be, they still needed some distance and he was willing to give that to her. He placed his lips softly on hers before standing to leave. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, hoping she would hear him in her dreams.
At the door, he took one last look at her before turning off the light and closing the door. Brennan turned to her side to get more comfortable, "I love you too." She whispered all the time smiling.
X-X-X-X-X-X
For Brennan and Booth, it was just their second Christmas after Liz's death. This year was special, however, because it was going to be the two of them and Cooper, and they were actually celebrating something. Parker was a Freshman at Duke University and he was going to spend his first Christmas as a college student with Rebecca. Booth was happy that at least they were going to spend New Year's together, as it felt like life was right again.
Brennan was excited that Booth had taken two whole weeks off from work to spend with his family. She still hadn't go back to work at the Jeffersonian; she wasn't ready just yet and she didn't know when she would be ready. She gave lectures and seminars occasionally to keep her skills sharp. And she was back to writing her novels again too. Slowly she was going back to what she was good at, and she gave up painting completely, telling Angela how grateful she was for it, but she didn't need it anymore. Besides, she knew she wasn't good at it; painting was Angela's thing. So, she gladly exchanged the canvasses for her novels.
December 25th was a beautiful day in DC. Brennan was still lying in bed while Booth was up and getting Cooper ready to open all the presents. Brennan opened her eyes and looked outside the window. She was glad that the sun was shining. She couldn't ask for a better day to spend Christmas with her family. Brennan sat up in bed and thought how much her life had changed in the last two years and how much she missed her little girl. Every day before she went bed and after she woke up, she would think of Liz. Her daughter never left her mind, even though the hardest time of her life had come and gone.
She still had a beautiful son and a wonderful husband, and for that she was thankful. It didn't take long before Cooper ran into the room and behind him was Booth. Cooper threw himself in Brennan's arms with the happiest smile on his face; he knew today was the day that he would get a lot of presents. It couldn't be a happier day for a 9-year-old. Booth didn't say anything; he was just watching Cooper interact with his wife.
"Mom, let's go open the presents!" Brennan knew it wasn't a question but more of a demand. She didn't argue with her son, but she instantly threw her legs over the side of the bed and got up.
"If you insist," she smiled at Booth, as she took Cooper's hand and they all started walking to the living room, where a big Christmas tree held a lot of presents underneath.
Cooper sat on the floor next to the biggest present; he hoped it was for him. Booth sat on the couch and Brennan passed by him and gave him a soft and tender kiss on his lips.
"Morning…" Brennan whispered on his ear. "Thank you for last night..." she said it as she giggled at him and moved over to sit next to Cooper, leaving Booth wanting more of what she was grateful for.
"Are you ready to open the presents, Cooper?" Booth asked from the couch. Cooper didn't need to say anything, his excitement was enough.
Brennan started passing out all the presents around. It didn't take a long time before Cooper was playing with his new toys. He wasn't paying attention to his parents anymore. He was too busy playing with the cars he got.
Brennan looked over at Cooper, and then she turned her attention to her husband. It felt like it was just the two of them in the room at that moment. "It's just us now." She said softly.
"You first..." Booth said wanting to go last.
She smiled and picked up a wrapped present from the floor. "Here," She handed it to him. "It's from the whole family."
Booth smiled as he started to open it. He looked at Brennan who was smiling from ear to ear. When he opened the box, he saw season tickets to see the Flyers and plane tickets to go to each of their home games. He was shocked and surprised to what he was holding in his hands.
"I thought you would enjoy something other than work." Brennan announced as she noticed that he was still speechless.
"I love it," he said as he moved closer to her and gave her a passionate kiss. "I will enjoy every moment of it, and I will make sure to clear my schedule with Margaret, so I won't miss any games."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Okay, it's my turn." Booth said with an eager smile on his face, even though he was a little insecure about it. Brennan looked at him suspiciously. He grabbed a wrapped box from one of the cabinets in the living room. "It's for the future," he said as he handed it to her.
Brennan grabbed the box but waited to open it. She looked at him studying his expression and trying to figure it out what he was up to. "You better have not gotten me any expensive jewelry; you know I don't need any of that." She said wondering what was inside the box, but deep down, it was exactly what she wanted. She loved getting jewelry from Booth, he had exquisite taste.
"Actually, it's not. Sorry to disappoint you," he said shyly, but not letting the smile leave his face. "Open it already." He demanded.
Brennan smiled at him. She started to open the wrapping paper, but not taking her eyes from his. When she saw what it was, her smile faded away. "Booth?" She asked curiously. "What's this about?" She looked from the baby Flyers jersey she was holding to her husband. "Is this some kind of way of telling me you want us to have another baby?" She asked nervously. They had talked about it, but it was always a tough subject for both of them now.
"No, it's not," he simply said. "We are going to have another baby in about 8 months, Bones." He told her. "You are pregnant; the little jersey is just the baby's first clothes, I wanted him or her to be part of our family already." He said with confidence in his voice.
"But I'm not pregnant," she said confidently and certainly not ready for it. "But we can talk about it later if you want to have another baby." She said as she looked over to Cooper, who was playing furiously with his new cars.
"Okay. First, yes - you are pregnant, and we are too late to have that talk." Booth said as he grabbed her hand and held it between his.
"Booth, I think I know my body." Brennan said as she argued with him.
"And so do I," he was not going to let her win this, but he knew he was right.
"We can talk about it if you want." She insisted as if she didn't believe him.
"Bones, come on. After two pregnancies, I think I can tell if you are pregnant or not. Besides, you have changed you eating habits; you are sleeping more every night. And you think it's coincidence that you have the flu this week? You don't believe in coincidences, remember?" He asked trying to convince her.
"Will you be happy if I go to the doctor first thing after the holiday? I want to prove you wrong." She said not trying to sound defeated, but she still didn't want to disappoint him or herself, he sounded so happy with the idea.
Booth looked at her, he knew it would be harder to convince her, but he was ready for anything. He walked over to the counter again, and grabbed something else; she looked at him curiously wondering what he was doing. "No, I don't want you to wait till next week to find out. I want you to find out right now." He said as he handed her a pregnancy test kit. She wasn't ready for this, that she was sure of.
It was then that Cooper ran over to Brennan and looked at both of them. "Mom, what did dad give you?" He asked as he took the pregnancy box from Brennan's hand.
She was caught off guard, but she found the perfect way to respond to her son. "Dad gave me a stick, Cooper." Brennan said looking at Booth, making sure he listened to what she said.
"So, it's a toy?" Cooper asked curiously. "Can I play with it?" He asked, not getting enough of his cars to play with.
"No sweetheart, it's a grownup's stick, you go play with your cars, and look, they are lonely already." Booth said as he pointed to the cars at the floor, Cooper was back to his toys instantly.
Brennan got up from the floor where she was sitting and walked over to the kitchen, Booth followed her; he was not going to give up.
She opened the fridge and took out some eggs to make herself an omelet.
"Bones, seriously…" he grabbed her arm and made her look at him. "This is good news; I know it's scary after Liz," he closed his eyes for a second, remembering their nightmare. "I'm scared too, but I think we are ready for another baby. Maybe this is exactly what we need. All you have to do is take the test, so we can go out for lunch today and celebrate it." He never thought it was going to be this hard. "And since when do you eat eggs in the morning anyway?" He asked knowing that they didn't allow Cooper to eat eggs for breakfast, and not even one of them ever ate eggs for breakfast either.
Suddenly it hit her, he was right. She had had eggs every day for the last week, and all different kinds of food that she never ate before. Even her mood had changed as well; maybe she was really pregnant. The smile on her face started to come back slowly, when Booth saw it, he knew that he had finally convinced her that she was indeed pregnant.
"Booth, what if I'm not pregnant?" She asked fully knowing she would be upset now if she wasn't.
"Just take the test babe; go pee on the stick, and if you are not pregnant then we will talk about it." Booth said as he handed her the box again. He looked in the direction of the bathroom. She took it, unsure, but there was only one way to find out. She walked over to the bathroom and did as the instructions on the box said to.
Five minutes later she came out of the bathroom. Booth couldn't tell whether she was pregnant from her expression. She just put her arms around him and hugged him. "I'm pregnant." She whispered as she started to cry in his arms. Booth knew she was crying because it was good news.
"I told you so." Booth said laughing, "I'm always right, Bones." Brennan laughed at his comment as well, they parted from the hug and he wiped her tears, "We are going to have another baby." He said as he kissed her, she couldn't help but kiss him back.
"I'm scared, what if..." Brennan's mind was going a million miles an hour with ways that this could go wrong again. She knew she couldn't go through another loss, she wouldn't survive it. But at least she knew that she had Booth by her side, no matter what.
"Don't even think that, Bones," he said as she grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach. "Everything is going to be fine." They smiled at each other.
X-X-X-X-X-X
"Ange. I promised Booth I wouldn't tell you until we had you over for dinner tonight so we could tell you together, but I don't think I can wait." Brennan pulled Angela away from the rack of drawstring pants so they could face each other.
"Bren, what is it?" Angela laughed at her friend's seriousness.
"I couldn't let you have all this fun by yourself," she started, while looking around at all the maternity clothes surrounding them. They were shopping for Angela, who was five months pregnant with her second baby.
"You're not!" Angela exclaimed before putting her hand over her mouth to halt the screams of joy that were sure to come.
"I am," Brennan smiled. She wrapped her arms around Angela and her slightly protruding belly and the two squealed in between the aisles of drawstring pants and maternity business suits.
"I'm a little hesitant and I'm not sure if I'm ready for this again," Brennan proclaimed after the celebration had ended.
"I know you are scared, Bren. But all you have to know is that your family is here for you no matter what." Angela squeezed her hand to reassure her.
"Yeah. Booth said the same thing." Brennan said, deciding to leave the fear behind and enjoy this marvelous moment with her best friend.
"And besides, we are having babies. Together." Angela squealed again.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Brennan loved summers. But now that she was pregnant, she was starting to hate it.
The pregnancy already left her feeling tired, and the summer sun only added to her exhaustion. Her feet had begun to swell in the last week, and she found that she needed to rest after only a short time on her feet.
The morning had been spent catching up on general housework. She had her feet up on the kitchen chair, giving them a well deserved break. Her swollen belly was tilted upwards, exposed for everyone to see.
There was no longer any mistaking that Brennan was very much pregnant. Her six-month belly stood out proudly against her small frame. Besides being hugely pregnant, Brennan had her hands full with work, her new book coming out in a few months, and Cooper. School had been dismissed for summer and Brennan's days had been full of activities. But she couldn't complain; things were finally settling down again.
"It's too hot." Brennan sighed, taking another sip of her cold lemonade. The house was air conditioned, but she still felt the heat.
"You don't seem comfortable." Angela commented, concerned.
"I'm not." She declared, shifting in her chair as if to emphasize her point.
"That's what you get for getting pregnant." Angela teased.
"Angela, you are nine-months pregnant, you should be feeling more uncomfortable than me." Brennan said matter-of-factly. She paused slightly, giving her best friend the Brennan glare.
"I know, but I'm not. I feel fine. I mean, I want this little one to come out already, but this is a way easier pregnancy than the one with Gracie. I'm sorry." She apologized sympathetically. Brennan resumed struggling with her chair and finally settled into a comfortable position.
"If the baby wouldn't move so much, it wouldn't be so bad." Brennan rested her hand on her belly to feel a kick, and another, and another.
"It's just an active one." Angela reasoned.
"This one is more active than Cooper and Liz put together. They were never this active." Brennan felt another kick. "See." She laughed.
X-X-X-X-X-X
The baby kicked her; her hand touched her belly to feel the little one. "The baby is kicking." She told Booth.
He smiled at her; this just made him so happy.
"Here." She grabbed his hand and put his hand on her belly, allowing him to feel the kicks.
"We have a strong one." He said amused.
"You have no idea. This one kicks all the time." She told him proudly. "I gained four pounds since my last appointment." Brennan said disappointed.
"You look gorgeous with an extra four pounds." He joked.
She laughed.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Brennan was in the kitchen on a mission. For many it was simple, but for her it felt like the most important task of her life. She opened one of the cabinets, and started looking through it. What she was looking for was not in sight. So she started taking everything out of the cabinet, just in case Booth had put it in the very back. Chocolate chip cookies, chips, goldfish, animal crackers, Oreos, Munchies, and Cheese Nips were all sitting on top of the table now, and still Brennan didn't find what she was looking for.
"I knew I should have gone to the grocery store last night." She cursed to herself. She looked at her watch and realized it was already three in the morning.
Brennan knew she couldn't go back to bed if she didn't satisfy her craving right now. She would accomplish what she desired, even if she had to go to every 24 hour mini-mart and gas station in the city.
She walked into her room quietly, hoping not to wake up Booth. She needed to change. She grabbed a pair of pants and her sweater and put it on. After a few moments of maneuvering around her now enormous belly to put on her shoes, she was ready to leave.
She grabbed her keys and her wallet and looked at Booth; he wouldn't even know she would be gone for twenty minutes. She turned to leave, and walked to the door. She stopped suddenly as soon as she heard her name.
"Bones?" Booth asked tiredly.
She turned and knew she was busted. "Booth, go back to sleep." She said calmly.
Booth didn't listen to her; he sat up in bed and focused his eyes on her. "What's wrong?" He asked concerned.
"Nothing is wrong," she said firmly. "I'm just going to run to the store really quick and I will be back in 20 minutes." She said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Booth was out of bed in an instant.
"I have a craving." She shyly admitted.
"You should have woken me up Bones, it's three twenty in the morning." Booth walked to the closet to get ready.
"No, I shouldn't have. I didn't want to disturb you," she walked over to him and kissed him gently. "Go back to bed."
He returned the kiss, "Thanks, but you should rest." He said as he touched her swollen stomach.
"I can't sleep like this," she pointed to her almost seven-month-pregnant belly. "So I might as well do something."
"Then we will both go?" He compromised.
"Booth, you know we can't do that," she argued. "One of us has to stay here with Cooper and Grace." Angela and Hodgins' daughter was staying the night with them to give them time alone with their two-month-old baby boy.
"You're right," he agreed. "Just tell me what you want and I'll be right back."
"Booth, I can go to the grocery store by myself. It's not like I'm going to work or anything, I'm just going down the street and I should be back in 20 minutes."
"I know it's not work, but I worry about you anyway. I just want to do nice things for you." He smiled.
"You can do nice things for me, but I also want to do nice things for myself, even if I have to go to the grocery store at four in the morning." She was starting to get irritated. She hated being protected all the time, especially when it came to simple things like this.
"Okay, so how about this?" He took a step forward. "I go tonight, and you can go the next time you have a craving." He knew she wouldn't agree, but he enjoyed seeing her argue and get mad sometimes.
"I'm not crippled, I'm pregnant." She said definitely.
He took her hand. "I know that Bones. I just want your wellbeing, and I will do anything for you." He said sincerely.
"Yeah, I know and I appreciate it. But by willing to do anything for me, you will let me go to the store." She pleaded.
Booth knew he didn't have a way out and he didn't want to see a pissed-off, pregnant Bones. "Okay then, but promise me you will be careful?" Booth asked worried.
"I'm going to the store, not to the moon." She argued.
"Promise me." He said seriously.
"I promise." She kissed him and turned to leave, but she wasn't going very far.
Cooper was standing by their bedroom door staring at them, with his blanket under his arm.
Brennan walked over to her son, "Cooper, what's the matter?"
"I had a nightmare, Mom." Cooper cried.
Brennan bent down to Cooper's level. "It's over now." Brennan kissed his forehead.
Cooper threw his arms around Brennan's neck. Booth watched mother and son interact. He always enjoyed watching Brennan take such good care of their son.
"Can I sleep with you now?" Cooper asked eyeing Brennan.
Brennan looked up at Booth, "Help me up?" She asked fully knowing that her belly would make it harder to stand up on her own.
"You can lay with me, Coop." Booth said as he helped Brennan stand up.
"Or how about if we take a trip to the grocery store?" Brennan offered.
Cooper's face grew with excitement, forgetting his nightmare, but Booth on the other hand was completely shocked.
"Bones?" Booth asked concerned. He didn't like the idea of Brennan going to the store alone, now he didn't like the idea of Brennan going to the store with Cooper.
"Don't you trust me?" She asked seriously.
"Of course I do." He said, but he was still worried.
"I have my cell phone if I need anything. Don't worry." Brennan said and gave Booth a kiss.
"I can't help it, it's natural for me to worry Bones. You're my family." Booth said.
"I know." Brennan turned to Cooper. "Give your father a hug, sweetie."
Cooper walked over to Booth and gave him a father/son hug. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, Coop." Booth gave him a hug back. "Take care of your mom okay?" Booth asked eyeing Brennan.
"Okay Dad." Cooper said as he took Brennan's hand.
Brennan and Cooper started walking towards the door.
"Bones…" Booth called back before she left. "So, what are you craving this time?" He asked curiously.
"Banana Muffins." Brennan said simply before leaving for the store.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Brennan woke up with a start in the middle of the night. The pain was coming from her stomach. She sat up slowly in bed, she tried not to disturb Booth or wake him up as he was still sleeping peacefully. She touched her stomach with her fingertips to palpate her pain. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She started breathing slowly through the pain. After about 40 seconds, the contraction subsided. When the pain was over, Brennan rested on the back of the bed. She decided to get up and walk around a little bit, she hoped it would help and the contractions would go away. In her previous pregnancies, every time she had Braxton Hicks contractions, walking would usually help them go away. But this time, walking wasn't helping; the contractions kept on coming, every contraction more painful than the one before. She kept a close look at the clock, and half hour passed since the first pain hit her. She returned to bed to be more comfortable.
Another contraction hit her and she gritted her teeth, grabbing the sheets with her fingers. She tried to breath as she remember from her other pregnancies but she found herself powerlessness to do much except get through the enormous discomfort. "Booth." Brennan said as the pain subsided again.
Booth stirred in bed and turned to Brennan. "Bones." He called her name without opening his eyes.
"Something's wrong," she said with nervousness in her voice.
Booth sat up in bed immediately. Although he was still drowsy, he was fully at her disposal now. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.
"I have been having contractions for the last half hour." She announced something that she was purposely trying not to believe it.
Booth rubbed his eyes trying to focus on Brennan, "Are you having Braxton Hicks?"
Brennan shook her head, "No, they're real contractions." She breathed heavily. "Ten minutes apart." Tears of fear were falling down her face.
"It can't be… it's too early." Booth said in denial.
"I know, it is too early, I'm only 28 weeks, I can't have the baby now, please make it stop." Brennan cried when another contraction hit. "This can't be happening."
Nervously, Booth didn't know what to do first, "We should just head to the hospital." Booth said as he got up from the bed and got dressed pretty quickly. "It's going to be okay Bones."
Brennan nodded and waited until the contraction subsided and then threw a dress over her head. Tears were still flowing down her face. She was trying to stay calm through this ordeal, but the knowledge that their baby might be born prematurely scared her. Hadn't they faced enough heartache in their lives?
She was sitting on the bed waiting for Booth to finish gathering a few things together. He came over to her and set the bag on the floor, "I already called Dr. Warren and she will meet us at the hospital."
"Okay." Brennan nodded and wiped her tears, but kept on crying.
"Bones, try to stay calm." Booth reminded her and kissed the top of her head.
"I know." Brennan closed her eyes. "We were supposed to have a relaxing day together, just the two of us, this can't be happening now." She said in disbelief.
"You are going to be okay." He soothed her and helped her up, and they walked to the car and were on the way to hospital. Even though Booth was trying to keep Brennan calm, he was a wreck himself. He couldn't believe that when things were finally going right, something always went wrong.
X-X-X-X-X-X
The ride to the hospital felt like forever for Brennan. There shouldn't be any traffic on a Saturday morning, but there was a bad accident on the freeway on the way to the hospital and there was more traffic than Booth expected. "I'm sorry I took the freeway, I should've known better." He said reaching for her hand, trying to keep her calm.
Brennan breathed heavily, "I'm fine." She tried her hardest to keep her tears at bay.
Booth squeezed her hand, "It's going to be okay." Saying it out loud, didn't make him feel any better.
"You don't know that." Brennan challenged wiping the sweat off her forehead with her hand.
"No, I don't. But I have to believe it will be." Booth finally saw the sign indicating their exit was one mile ahead. "We are almost there." He reassured her.
Another contraction hit as soon as Booth took the exit, Brennan gritted her teeth and grabbed the sides of her seat. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. As soon as the contraction was over, she opened her eyes and the hospital came into view at the end of the street.
"We're here." Booth announced as soon as he parked the car by the emergency entrance. He hurriedly got out of the car and walked around to Brennan's side. He opened her door and helped her out of the car gently.
They started to walk to the entrance slowly, Brennan setting the pace. Booth put his hand on her back for support. Suddenly Brennan stopped walking abruptly and turned pale.
"Booth..." Before she could say anything else, she went limp into his arms.
Booth held on to her on reflex before she could hit the floor. "Bones." The nervousness in his voice was unrecognizable. He slowly got down to his knees and held her gently. He placed his shaking hand on her face, "Bones." He tried again, but she didn't move. "Wake up!"
He gently snaked his arms around her and picked her up. Booth walked in a hurried pace, but carefully not to drop her. As soon as the doors of the emergency room opened, he started yelling, "My wife! Help!"
Nurses and Doctors rushed to them with a gurney, Booth gently laid her down. "She's 28 weeks pregnant and her contractions started about two hours ago." He explained as they walked towards one of the awaiting team to assist Brennan.
Booth stayed a few feet away watching the doctors and nurses work on Brennan. He watched every move back and forth around Brennan and everything they were doing to her. He started breathing again when he saw Brennan open her eyes and slowly started moving again. He could see the color slowly come back to her face.
A short blonde haired nurse started walking towards him, "Sir, I'm Amy, one of the nurses on shift this morning. I need to ask you a few questions."
"Okay." Booth didn't take his eyes off of Brennan. "How's she?"
"We're still evaluating her condition Mr.?"
"Booth."
"Mr. Booth. The doctor will come to talk to you as soon as he knows something." Nurse Amy answered gently.
"My wife's doctor, Dr. Warren, should be on her way, I called her before we left." He informed her.
"We will page Dr. Warren saying Mrs. Booth has arrived. But right now, I need you to fill out some paperwork and I'm going to need the insurance information as well."
Booth refused to go, "I'd like to stay with my wife."
"Mr. Booth, they are still treating her. I will get you back to your wife as soon as I can, I promise." Nurse Amy persisted.
Booth hesitated but reluctantly agreed. He followed her to a nurse station not far from where Brennan was. He explained everything that happened, from how relaxed their night was to Brennan waking up having contractions. He was handed a stack of paperwork to fill out, "I will be back in ten minutes, Mr. Booth." Nurse Amy left him alone for a few minutes.
Booth was staring blankly towards the room Brennan was being treated. The knowledge that he could lose Brennan and their baby at the same day scared him to death, especially after losing Liz. He didn't know what to do to help. As Deputy Director of the FBI, he had the power to resolve everything and anything, he felt empowered, strong, and authoritarian. Right now sitting at the hospital waiting to know the faith of his wife and child, he felt weak, helpless, powerless, and useless. At the hospital, he was just Seeley Booth, husband and father. His profession and status didn't matter in this situation. Today Booth was just a regular guy and that alone frustrated him to no end. Booth slowly snapped out of his trance, and started filling out the paperwork.
By the time he was done filling them out, he decided to call Angela and tell her what was happening. Angela wanted to drop everything she was doing and go to the hospital. Booth told her that there was nothing she can do there, and told her to stay with Cooper and her kids and make sure they were okay. She assured him they would make sure Cooper was taken care of, and asked to call her as soon as he heard anything new. As soon as Booth ended the call, Nurse Amy returned. He handed her all the paperwork. "Where's my wife?" He asked urgently.
"She was taken to room 411." Nurse Amy said.
Booth took off running without even waiting for directions.
"I will take the paperwork to Dr. Warren, and she will be in to see Mrs. Booth in a little bit." Nurse Amy yelled from a distance.
Booth jogged through the halls of the hospital. It was seven in the morning already, and he spent the last thirty minutes filling out the paperwork. Thirty minutes away from Brennan.
He opened a door and found a stairwell and ran up the stairs two at a time until he reached the fourth floor. He burst through the door and nearly run over a nurse, he stopped to steady the startled woman, "I'm sorry." he apologized, "Which way is room 411?" He asked hurriedly.
"It's down the hall to the right." The nurse pointed at a room down the hall.
"Thank you." He said breathlessly and took off running again.
He stopped in front of the room for a few minutes to catch his breath. He pushed through the door and found Brennan lying in bed, her sweat soaked hair spread across the pillow. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping. He step forward with care, noting the IV in her arm, an oxygen tube in her nose to help her breath, and the fetal monitor attached to her abdomen.
Booth sat down in the chair next to her bed. He sat there like a statue, afraid of the noises of his breathing, afraid to disturb her during what appeared to be a peaceful rest.
Brennan looked so completely exhausted.
"I'm sorry they kept me away from you." His own need took over and he reached over to take her hand in his.
Brennan slowly opened her eyes and looked at him with fear.
"How are you doing?" He asked concerned.
"I'm fine." She lied, more to her benefit than his.
"You scared me Bones. You passed out right in front of the hospital. I thought…" Booth cried unable to finish.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, "They told me my blood pressure was really low, but it's back up again." She reassured him.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"I love…" Before she could finish another contraction hit. She closed her eyes and grabbed the sheets with her fingers grimacing in pain.
Nurse Amy peeked in the door and saw Brennan straining through the contraction and slipped in. "How are you doing, Mrs. Booth?"
Brennan did nothing but grimace at her. Nurse Amy walked over to Brennan and checked her IV and her pulse. There was also a baby monitor around Brennan's abdomen, checking the baby's vitals. "Good job, Mrs. Booth. Just ride it through."
Brennan puffed her way through, and began to relax again. "Call me Temperance."
Nurse Amy smiled at her, "You are doing really well, Temperance."
Brennan squeezed Booth's hand, "I can't have this baby yet." She cried in desperation.
Nurse Amy took a washcloth and gently patted the cool fabric onto Brennan's sweat soaked face.
Booth looked into Brennan's eyes, "I know Bones, but we might not have a choice..." He whispered softly.
Brennan shook her head in frustration. "The baby's too small."
Nurse Amy had a profusion of freckles on her short, wide nose. "Temperance, you are in the best place you can be right now. We have seen our share of little babies; we have a very good facility and we have excellent doctors."
"Isn't there anything we can do? Please, I will do anything." Brennan begged desperately through her tears.
"I'm sorry, nothing to do right now but wait." Nurse Amy always felt bad in this kind of situations, especially because she could never do anything about it. "Dr. Warren should be in to see you soon."
Brennan set her mouth in a grim line to try to hold back her tears, but it didn't help. Another contraction seized, and Brennan groaned audibly and grimaced tightly against the pain. Booth leaned over and scooped one arm under her neck and the other resting on her arm. Gently, he talked her through the pain, whispering softly words of love and compassion and telling her everything was going to be alright. Even though the physical pain had subsided, the emotional pain only grew.
He reached over and gently kissed her forehead. Her mouth bent into a frown as she chocked back sobs. Booth laid his cheek against hers and wrapped his arms around her. Her whole body seemed to sob, and he let her bury her teary face in his neck. "Bones… shhhhh! It's going to be alright." He softly kissed her cheek. "We will get through this, I promise." He whispered softly.
Her sobs went on for quite some time, and Booth couldn't have been happier to be there for her every tear. He actually felt like he was being useful to her, and he didn't feel as powerless and helpless as he thought he would. Booth wanted nothing more than to keep her and their baby safe at the moment. If all he could do right now was be her emotional support, than that was what he was going to give her. He wanted to ask her about the baby, but right now all he cared about was Brennan. He would have to content himself with the fact that she was strong enough to hug him back and let him comfort her. Their contact somehow comforted him, knowing that she was conscious enough to need him. The knowledge that she wanted him there beside her through her current ordeal proved to him that their relationship was definitely back on the right track. This could have been a lot worst.
One more contraction hit, and Brennan breathed in sharply and learned forward. Booth changed his grip around her shoulders and worked to support her as she struggled through the painful contraction. Her face turned red and she grimaced in pain. She held her stomach tightly, and for the first time she screamed in pain, echoing through the room.
"Breathe through it, Bones." Booth encouraged. "You're doing really well." Booth tried to encourage her, although he had no idea what was happening.
Brennan finally collapsed back into Booth's arms and he gently lowered her back onto the pillow. Brennan was quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying the little comfort she was getting from him. He grabbed the cool washcloth that Nurse Amy used before and patted Brennan's soaked forehead again. The minimum he could do right now was to try to make her as comfortable as possible.
At that moment Dr. Warren walked into the room. "I'm sorry it took me a little bit to get here." She apologized. "Amy here filled me in, let me take a look at you and then we will discuss our options." Dr. Warren didn't waste any time and asked Brennan to open her legs to examine her properly.
While Dr. Warren examined her, Booth took Brennan's hand in his, he brought it to his mouth and kissed her fingers.
"You contractions started about three hours ago, and you are only one centimeter dilated." She inscribed down the information on Brennan's file. "How long apart are the contractions right now?"
"Still the same interval since she arrived here. Nine minutes apart." Nurse Amy answered.
"Good news is your water hasn't broken yet. We might be able to stop the contractions." Dr. Warren informed hopefully.
"I will do anything; just tell me what I need to do." Brennan said desperately.
"We will try to stop the contractions with a medication called Terbulatine. It's the best medication for your condition, though I'm warning you that it works differently from woman to woman. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." Dr. Warren tried to explained as simply as possible.
"So, it might not work at all?" Booth asked worriedly.
"It might not."
"What are the chances that it will work?" Brennan asked with fear in her voice.
"Like I said, it depends on the woman. There isn't an exact number, and I don't want to give you hope if it doesn't work. Although there is a chance it might not work, this is the most successful medicine to stop pre-labor contractions."
"What are the side effects?" Booth asked and squeezed Brennan's hand.
"Side effects can include nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, headache and nausea." Dr. Warren listed the most common side effects.
"What about the baby?" Brennan asked concerned for her child.
"The baby might experience a fast heart rate, but nothing serious. And we will be monitoring, so it shouldn't be a problem at all."
"Do it." Brennan ordered anxiously.
"You do understand Temperance that you also need to stay calm and relaxed to help the medicine do its job." Dr. Warren warned.
"I will stay calm, I promise." Brennan cried as one more painful contraction hit.
"Alright." Dr. Warren inscribed something on Brennan's chart and handed it to nurse Amy. "One dose for the next two hours." Dr. Warren ordered. Nurse Amy stepped out of the room to go pick up the medication.
"If the medication doesn't work, we will know in the next two to three hours. Although, if it doesn't work in the next three hours, we will have to deliver. So, it is very important that you stay relaxed." She warned carefully. "We will be checking on you regularly though. Any other questions?"
Booth looked at Brennan and she shook her head. "No, not right now." Booth answered for both of them.
"Alright, I will be around if you need me and remember, and try to stay calm." Dr. Warren said and stepped out of the room leaving Brennan and Booth alone.
The room was silent for a few minutes, both of them afraid to say what they were thinking. The silent in the room was broken when Nurse Amy walked in with the medication in hand. "This medication will go through your IV, it might burn a little." Amy smiled at Brennan as she injected the medicine into Brennan's IV.
"We gotta call Angela to let her know that she will need to keep Cooper a little longer." Brennan said as she placed her hand on her lower abdomen.
"I already called and talked to Angela and she said not to worry about him." He informed her, taking her hand and kissing it gently.
The next two hours were incredibly tense. Booth's mind was racing but he knew he had to stay in control and be calm for Brennan's sake. There was always a nurse or a doctor walking in and out of the room, keeping a close eye on Brennan's contractions and her vital signs, as well as the baby's. Although, her contractions weren't even slowing down, Brennan kept a close eye on the baby's monitor to make sure everything was okay with their baby. She would feel a few kicks between contractions.
Dr. Warren walked into the room one more time and the expression on her face scared Brennan.
"Contractions still constant and strong?" Dr. Warren asked.
Brennan nodded nervously.
Dr. Warren examined Brennan one more time, checking all of her vitals and the baby's as well. Booth stayed by Brennan's side holding her hand. Keeping an eye on Dr. Warren and checking everything she was doing. When she was done, she removed her gloves and threw it in the trash, and then she turned to Brennan, "If these contractions don't stop in the next hour, unfortunately we will have to deliver."
"No." Brennan shook her head venomously. "The baby isn't old enough yet."
"We may not have a choice, Temperance. The baby would have to be in the NICU until it catches up developmentally, but if the contractions continue without delivery this could become dangerous, not only to your baby, but to you as well."
"Give me more medication then. Anything, Dr. Warren." Brennan begged. "Please?"
"We talked about this. Your womb is making the decision for you, and we are only along for the ride." Dr. Warren said looking from Brennan to Booth.
"There has to be something you can do for her." Booth's desperation was obvious.
"Medically we have done everything we can. More medication won't help at this late in the game, it might only make things worse. If Temperance advances any further, we are going to have to deliver this baby." The reality of the situation was disappointing even for Dr. Warren.
"What are the chances of the baby being healthy this early?" Booth wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. He regretted asking the minute the question left his mouth.
Dr. Warren nodded, "Your baby is smaller than we would like and there are a great number of risks associated with early delivery. But recovery is possible."
Booth's face turned pale, "So, we have about one more hour?"
"Temperance has another hour to struggle with this, but after that, if she is still having contractions, we won't be able to do anything else but deliver the baby." Dr. Warren repeated. The reality of it was just sinking in.
"Do you have the neo-natal unit ready if you have to deliver?" Booth never thought this would be a question he would need to ask.
"Of course, everything is ready for whenever we need to deliver the baby." Dr. Warren.
"No." Brennan shook her head. She put her hand over her eyes to try to stop the tears from falling. "I won't push."
"Temperance…"
Dr. Warren started but got cut short by Brennan, "No, I won't have this baby today, no matter what you say." Brennan said with warm tears falling down her face.
"You still have one hour, you have to stay calm. If you keep this up, your contractions won't stop. Is that what you want?" Dr. Warren challenged.
"No, of course not." Brennan sobbed. "But I want to keep our baby safe too."
"The only advice I can give you is to stay calm and relaxed. I know it's so hard to do, but you have to try. For your baby."
"Okay." Brennan controlled her sobs. She found that she couldn't handle any more information, so she merely accepted the challenge.
Dr. Warren walked over to the food tray and grabbed a cup and walked over to Brennan and handed it to her. "Ice chips, it will help you hydrate a little."
Brennan took the cup and rested on her abdomen. Booth saw the exhaustion deep in her eyes as she stared past him at the ceiling. He gently took the cup of ice chips from her hand, "Tell me what I can do to help her right now?" Booth asked concerned at Brennan's present state. He took an ice chip and placed it on her lips.
"Well, you are off to a good start. Make sure she gets hydrated a little with the ice chips; you might want to massage her belly or even her back. The more relaxed Dr. Brennan becomes, the better the chance she has at stopping her contractions and eventually stopping this labor all together. I'm going to let you two be alone for now and I will be back in a little under an hour. If you need anything, call Nurse Amy at the nurse's station; just press the button on the side of her bed. Alright?"
Booth mumbled his thanks as Dr. Warren quietly walked out of the room. Booth squeezed Brennan's hand for support. The next hour would certainly be tense for both of them.
A/N: I know, it's a cliffhanger and the angsty muse kind of got back in the game... Not my fault. So, what did you guys think?